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​Our Grantees

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Rahima Benhabbour, PhD Assistant Professor

$150,000 / 2 years
Awarded 2021

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC

About

Dr. Rahima Benhabbour is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she studies novel delivery platforms and polymer-based devices that can solve current limitations in drug delivery. Merging biomedical engineering and polymer chemistry, her work designs and fabricates translational delivery systems for HIV prevention, cancer treatment, and contraception. In 2016, Rahima founded her first startup company, AnelleO, Inc., focused on developing 3D-printed intravaginal rings for the treatment of infertility.

Our Grant

MCI is supporting Rahima’s work in developing a novel long-acting, reversible contraceptive (LARC) delivery device compatible with Eppin Pharma’s small molecule, EP055. Taking the form of an implant injected just beneath the skin, the device elutes EP055 over a course of time. The nature of the implant makes it not only biodegradable, but also removable should a user wish to discontinue contraception.

MCI’s grant will facilitate studies that develop and implement an injectable device that can carry EP055 and translate into human studies where the same male contraceptive offering can be had in both oral and long-acting formulations.

A woman with long brown hair, wearing a sleeveless white top and a necklace, smiles while standing in a blurred indoor setting, possibly a laboratory or office.
Rahima Benhabbour, PhD Assistant Professor

$150,000 / 2 years
Awarded 2021

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC

About

Dr. Rahima Benhabbour is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she studies novel delivery platforms and polymer-based devices that can solve current limitations in drug delivery. Merging biomedical engineering and polymer chemistry, her work designs and fabricates translational delivery systems for HIV prevention, cancer treatment, and contraception. In 2016, Rahima founded her first startup company, AnelleO, Inc., focused on developing 3D-printed intravaginal rings for the treatment of infertility.

Our Grant

MCI is supporting Rahima’s work in developing a novel long-acting, reversible contraceptive (LARC) delivery device compatible with Eppin Pharma’s small molecule, EP055. Taking the form of an implant injected just beneath the skin, the device elutes EP055 over a course of time. The nature of the implant makes it not only biodegradable, but also removable should a user wish to discontinue contraception.

MCI’s grant will facilitate studies that develop and implement an injectable device that can carry EP055 and translate into human studies where the same male contraceptive offering can be had in both oral and long-acting formulations.

Press Releases

UNC Researcher Receives $150,000 to Develop Male Contraceptive

April 22, 2021

Dr. Rahima Benhabbour: Pioneering a Long-Acting, Biodegradable Male Contraceptive Implant
Barrier Breakers of the Future: Celebrating Women's History Month with Rahima Benhabbour, MSc, PhD

Publications

Maturavongsadit, P., Paravyan, G., Kovarova, M., Garcia, J. V., & Benhabbour, S. R. (2021). A new engineering process of biodegradable polymeric solid implants for ultra-long-acting drug delivery. International Journal of Pharmaceutics: X, 3, 100068. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpx.2020.100068

Benhabbour, S. R., Kovarova, M., Jones, C., Copeland, D. J., Shrivastava, R., Swanson, M. D., Sykes, C., Ho, P. T., Cottrell, M. L., Sridharan, A., Fix, S. M., Thayer, O., Long, J. M., Hazuda, D. J., Dayton, P. A., Mumper, R. J., Kashuba, A. D. M., & Victor Garcia, J. (2019). Ultra-long-acting tunable biodegradable and removable controlled release implants for drug delivery. Nature Communications, 10(1), 4324. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12141-5

Labouta HI, Benhabbour SR. Harnessing innovative drug delivery technologies for women’s health. J Control Release. 2025 Jan 29;379:849. doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2025.01.067. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39864632.

Dahl DK, Srinivasan P, Janusziewicz R, King JL, Shrivastava R, Zhang J, Little D, Bachman S, Kelley K, Cottrell ML, Schauer AP, Sykes C, Kashuba ADM, Smith J, Benhabbour SR. Next-generation 3D printed multipurpose prevention intravaginal ring for prevention of HIV, HSV-2, and unintended pregnancy. J Control Release. 2024 Dec;376:1209-1224. doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2024.10.059. Epub 2024 Nov 12. PMID: 39500407.

Young IC, Pallerla A, Cottrell ML, Maturavongsadit P, Prasher A, Shrivastava R, De la Cruz G, Montgomery SA, Schauer A, Sykes C, Kashuba ADM, Benhabbour SR. Long-acting injectable multipurpose prevention technology for prevention of HIV and unplanned pregnancy. J Control Release. 2023 Nov;363:606-620. doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2023.10.006. Epub 2023 Oct 12. PMID: 37797892; PMCID: PMC10841820.

Young IC, Srinivasan P, Shrivastava R, Janusziewicz R, Thorson A, Cottrell ML, Sellers RS, Sykes C, Schauer A, Little D, Kelley K, Kashuba ADM, Katz D, Pyles RB, García-Lerma JG, Vincent KL, Smith J, Benhabbour SR. Next generation 3D-printed intravaginal ring for prevention of HIV and unintended pregnancy. Biomaterials. 2023 Oct;301:122260. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2023.122260. Epub 2023 Aug 3. PMID: 37549505; PMCID: PMC11537264.

Rahima Benhabbour In the News:

Meet MCI's Grantees & Fellows!

Our grantees and fellows represent some of the finest minds in the male contraception research community from around the world.

At Male Contraceptive Initiative, we prioritize funding research that aligns with our mission of driving male contraception closer to clinical trials. We strategically allocate our resources to support a diverse range of projects, focusing on non-hormonal and reversible methods that have the potential to meet the needs of a broader population. Our goal is to catalyze progress in this field and bring innovative male birth control options to market.

Discover the innovative research being conducted by our grantees and fellows by clicking on the buttons below:

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